This invention relates to systemized food serving for institutional use in feeding large numbers of people during peak-feeding periods, for example in schools, industry, sports arenas, hospitals, etc. Mass feeding of properly prepared and conditioned foods is a problem where the numbers of persons to be served is large and the time period therefor small. Furthermore, the preparation of "a la carte" serving requires refrigerated, ambient, and oven temperatures to be applied and maintained, there being "pre-dished," "pre-portioned" and "pre-packaged" foods that are to be conditioned for serving by this system which includes therein the Cold Cabinet of the present invention. Generally, the system involves a cooperative arrangement of sequentially continuing cabinets, including a refrigerated cold cabinet R hereinafter described and claimed, a frozen cabinet F, a merchandizing cabinet M, and the Hot Cabinet H. These cooperative cabinets are of identical height and width configuration and are abutted in end to end relationship for self-serving from both sides. Pre-packaged foods, at hot, or cold or room temperature, transported from a central kitchen or the like are placed in the cabinets and brought to proper temperature for serving. For example, students serve themselves from lines at both sides of the cabinets, effecting speed and volume handling, and each cabinet arrangement must serve approximately 450 students in about 15 minutes without reloading, the system arrangement shown herein having this capacity. Thus, capacity requirements can be predicted with accuracy according to the daily attendance and number of serving periods. The system is completely mobile so as to be set up and/or dismantled or stored with minimum effort, and requires no plumbing or venting, etc. The only requirement is the input of electrical power, and that is minimized by the combined convection, absorption, and recirculation of air with minimum heat induction. Pilfering and contamination is prevented by systemized covers and sneeze guards that are secured in operative position by common lock bar anchors, and all of which ensures profitable food distribution under sanitary conditions. The Refrigerated Cold Cabinet R includes all of these features.
It is an object of this invention to provide rapid serving of foods in three general categories; namely, refrigerated, frozen and hot pre-packaged foods. The service lines for this purpose must be adapted to varied situations and circumstances, and varied in configuration according to demand as related to the ratio and quantities of the aforementioned categories of foods to be served. For example on warm and/or hot days an abundance of cold foods is preferred, in which case the service lines are augmented by additional Refrigerated Cold Cabinets, each of which is self-sufficient as are the cooperatively arranged hot cabinets H, frozen cabinets F and merchandizing cabinets M. With the present invention, these cooperative cabinets are of identical height and width configuration and are all "bin type" cabinets adapted to carry trays of prepackaged foods. Practicality of this system resides in the mobility of the individual cabinets which are on casters or wheeled supports, whereby the service line can be quickly erected, modified or broken down for storage, and all the while each unit or cabinet can remain plugged into a power outlet and in operation.
The bin type Refrigerated Cold Cabinet R of the present invention is essentially a vessel through which refrigerated air is circulated by convection to maintain pre-packaged foods at serving temperature and/or to bring them to a serving temperature. As is well known, cold air tends to sink in warmer air, especially within the confines of the corners of such cabinets, and it is to this end that I have discovered means to efficiently operate such bin type cabinets substantially without the induction of heat from the surrounding atmosphere, by the combined utilization of convection, and re-circulation principles applied to optimum advantage. With the present invention, a food well is completely surrounded by a plenum distributing refrigerated air that is continuously recirculated by a blower means drawing from corner to corner at the front wall of the well and delivering said air through refrigeration means and into a plenum that distributes refrigerated air to the far corners of the well at the back wall thereof for discharge into said well.
It is an object of this invention to provide a Refrigerated Cold Cabinet having the features thus far described and so combined with a condenser unit, that servicing is facilitated while efficient operation with continued recirculation of refrigerated air is maintained. With the present invention, the well bottom is spaced above the supporting floor level and the space beneath the well divided into front and rear chambers, the former for the cooperative reception of a complete refrigeration unit and the latter comprising the refrigeration air distribution plenum. As will be disclosed, the refrigeration unit is a replaceable module that inserts through an insulated bulkhead that separates the two chambers, the refrigerated well being insulated in its entirety and surrounded by recirculated and convection flow of refrigerated air.